Earlier this year, I had the privilege of visiting Cross of Christ Lutheran Church on a couple occasions. They are located in DeSoto, Texas. If you are ever in the DFW metroplex, drive down to DeSoto and commune with these faithful brothers and sisters.
I was as impressed with the building as I was with the congregation that meets there. True to the name, a massive cross freely hangs right over the church's altar. The rail wraps all the way around the high stone table so that the communicants literally gather under the cross to receive Christ's body and blood. The imagery was very impressive.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Beautiful Alter
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I have had the opportunity to visit and know some people who are members there. The sanctuary is a marvelous mix of old and new. It has what appear to be spherical amplifiers in the rafters and crying rooms in the back, but there is still a very old-school reverence for the fact that this place was built to be a sanctuary. It could not possibly be mistaken for an auditorium. It has a tremendous pipe organ as well. Any building committee in the LCMS should take a field trip.
Thanks for posting, Eric. You are right. If there is a way to mix new and old, this is how to do it.
I am a fan of the old myself, but this is the best adaptation of new building styles that I have seen to date. Despite its newer design, you get the old church feel with the hard floors and hewn stone. The hanging cross is an absolute treasure. Outside the church, the cross on their steeple actually bears the crown of thorns. New… old… blended… whatever; the entire church is Christocentric. I think that they have the right idea.
The best part is that this congregation remains very confessional and grounded in proper study of the Bible (which is the greatest compliment that you can pay a Lutheran congregation). The Adult Bible study is very advanced. I was treated to a lesson on the typological connection between Genesis 2 and Ephesians 5:22-33 and what the two marriages have in common and what they teach about Christ and His bride, the church. For an encore, Rev DeYoung delivered one of the starkest Law and Gospel sermons that I have ever heard from any pulpit. Keep up the good work, brothers and sisters!
Another bonus is the fact that the church posts the pictures of all of the members that she has sent off to an LCMS seminary or one of the Concordia university campuses. They display them proudly next to the welcome desk as you enter the church through the two massive, “Nail-the-95-Theses-here” type of front doors.
I think Martin Luther would be proud of those big wooden doors, the wealth of true doctrine being taught each Sunday, and the number of theology students that this congregation has produced.
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